Product Description

A Blue Willow tea set, a tragic past, a worn letter, and devotion to her two younger sisters, is all that mail order bride Catharine Olsen brings from Amsterdam to Cheyenne, WY to meet her future husband. Peter is a gentle, but hard-working wheat farmer, who doesn't realize the extent his meddling mother will go to in order to discredit his bride after he decides not to marry the lady she chose for him. Will Catharine's secret past threaten the idyllic life she has created with her new husband?

Publisher's Description

When Catharine Olsen leaves Holland for America as a mail-order bride, she brings along some extra baggage: two sisters, her mother's set of Blue Willow china, and a tragic past. When she arrives in Cheyenne, Wyoming, she promptly marries Peter Andersen and dreams of starting life over in this rugged land. Peter is kind and patient with Catharine and accommodating to her sisters. His mother, however, is not. When she begins a campaign to sabotage Peter's marriage, Catharine is distraught, worried that her secret past will be discovered. Will her life end up as nothing but broken pieces? Or will these trials make her stronger?

Readers will love negotiating the clash of cultures and class as a highborn European and a Western wheat farmer learn to love one another and trust God with both the past and the future.

Author Bio

Maggie Brendan is the bestselling author of several books, including the Heart of the West series and The Blue Willow Brides series. Winner of the 2013 Laurel Wreath Award, she was a 2013 finalist for the Published Maggie Award of Excellence, a 2013 finalist for the Heart of Excellence Readers' Choice Award, a 2012 finalist for Inspirational Reader's Choice award, and a recipient of the 2004 ACW Persistence Award in Atlanta. She is a member of the Author's Guild; Romance Writers of America; Faith, Hope, and Love; and Georgia Romance Writers. When she's not writing, she enjoys reading, researching for her novels, and spending time with her family. You can follow her at her website www.MaggieBrendan.com, her blog www.SouthernBelleWriter.blogspot.com, and on Facebook and Twitter @MaggieBrendan.

This is a great story of a mail order bride and her farmer husband and the importance of being open and honest with one's spouse. Lot's of romance, humor and adventure. Very well written Christian historical fiction!

the mail order bride Catherine Olsen surprise her new husband Peter Anderson, when she brings her to orphans teen sister with her from Holland.Katherine learns to cook and clean and run a home while learning to love and trust her new husband that she has never met. When Peter's mother finds out that he married a mail order bride she is none too pleased. But Peter loves his new wife and will do anything for her. When Catherine secret is told, you fear their love is going to break, but love holds strong and hard times. Maggie Brendan did an outstanding job on this book. I absolutely love it you won't be sorry for reading it. The story has twists and turns is absolutely amazing! It also has a good lesson, and teaches you a lot about God! I absolutely loved it! I will most likely read this book 100 times and still not be of it, which is not like me! Some people say that God doesnt want people to divorce and I agree to some existent. I believe God forgives those who have sinned, like the author says! He doesn't care what you did anymore because you are forgiven! He cares for what you do! Thank you so much for this book Maggie! God bless you!

Mail-order bride Catharine Olsen surprises her new husband, Peter Andersen, when she brings her orphaned teen sisters with her from Holland. What a change this brings about as the well-to-do Olsens face the hard work of life on a prairie farm in Wyoming territory. Catharine must learn to cook and run a home as well as to love and trust a man she'd never met in person. Both Peter and Catharine struggle with being totally honest, allowing hurts to displace love at times.

This book actually contains three romance threads: Besides the newlyweds, Catharine's oldest sister, Greta, falls for a soldier she meets at the depot when they arrive, and Peter's widowed mother is taken in by a private investigator she hires to check on Catharine's past. These developments add greater conflict to the tender story.

The strong characters and realistic unfolding of the tale make for an enjoyable read, and we can learn lessons about honesty and open communication. One thing that bothers me is the acceptance of divorce and remarriage, which I do not believe is biblical among Christians.